With its huge eyes, comical name and diminutive size, Mark R. Smith’s image of a baby Hawaiian bobtail squid can’t help but raise a smile. A curiously endearing creature, the cephalopod is just 1.5cm across, its mantle cavity bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rather natty shower cap. But it is also a beautiful example of symbiosis – nature’s version of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” – for on the underside of the squid is a light organ which houses bioluminescent bacteria. The squid offers the bacteria protection and food, while the bacteria emit a glow – a handy trait that the squid uses to offset its silhouette, helping it to evade predators in the depths below. Mark R. Smith’s entry combines several images of a Hawaiian bobtail squid with different focus lengths to create a final picture with greater depth of field than normal. (Photo by Mark R. Smith/Wellcome Images/Macroscopic Solutions)

A supercell thunderstorm develops, May 8, 2017 in Elbert County outside of Limon, Colorado. With funding from the National Science Foundation and other government grants, scientists and meteorologists from the Center for Severe Weather Research try to get close to supercell storms and tornadoes trying to better understand tornado structure and strength, how low-level winds affect and damage buildings, and to learn more about tornado formation and prediction. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Fans react as they watch HBO's “Game of Thrones” series finale at a viewing party at Brennan's bar in Marina del Rey, California, May 19, 2019. (Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP Photo)

An Indian man, Kalpesh Modi, performs stunts with his motorcycle during the rehearsal for the forthcoming Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, an annual Hindi festival, in Ahmedabad on June 23, 2019. The 142nd Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra festival in Ahmedabad is scheduled for July 4. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)

Cubans gather at Havanas Malecon waterfront to watch the fireworks on the eve of the city's 500th anniversary on November 15, 2019, in Havana, Cuba. The fireworks were launched from the opposite side of the Havana bay, at the El Morro fortress and lighthouse complex. (Photo by Sven Creutzmann/Mambo photo/Getty Images)

A couple sits on a swing during stormy weather along a beach by the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza City on December 8, 2021. (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP Photo)

A baby baboon appears to ride its mother like a horse at the Chobe River, in The Chobe National Park, Botswana, Southern Africa in January 2023. Young monkeys often ride on their parent's backs, like this Chacma baboon, for protection. (Photo by William Steel/Solent News & Photo Agency)

The “Summer House” season 7 premiere party at The Ready Rooftop in the second decade of February 2023. (Photo by Dan Nilson)